Just want to see you smile again
by Luvdarain5
Summary: RanxRei fic! He's angry about how his life is turning out. Ran decides to cheer him up with a fun night on the town. But things turn serious, and just when it gets interesting, the old gang & Aya get thrown in the mix...Meow! Complete. Slight OOC
1. Chapter 1

Just want to see you smile again.

by Luvdarain5

Disclaimer: I dont own Gals! Wish i did!

This story is rated PG-13 for cursing and sexual innuendo (Dont worry, its not that bad!)

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Chapter One: Leftovers

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As Rei Otahata stood outside the café in front of the window, the late afternoon sun glinted on the glass window causing him to squint irritatedly as he studied the black razor phone in his hand. The phone text from his best friend Yuya bugged him more than he cared to admit.

The short message simply said; 'Job is going well, making lots of friends, we'll be home tonight-lets hang out!'

Rei debated for a moment whether to reply, then decided he would do it later; he really wasn't in the mood.

"Why the hell am I here?" He asked himself disgustedly. Walking into the café that had been a favorite hangout in his younger years, he paused at the entrance, feeling the weight of his 24 years. His life was turning out to be a lot different than what he had planned.

As he scanned the crowd, he felt a brief flicker of annoyance when he didn't recognize any of the faces. Most of them were younger and not part of the group of friends he had hung out with. Several of the female patrons openly stared and tried to catch his attention, but none of them captured his.

Rei idly wondered why he kept coming to this place when it held no meaning for him anymore. Perhaps it was because it was one of the few places that reminded him of better times. He had spent many evenings and week ends here, hanging out with his friends, bringing a date in for a meal and in the latter years, making plans for the future.

Plans for becoming a DJ; the pounding techno beats, the darkened clubs scene and exposure to new styles and artists that would inspire him to compose exotic trance sounds of his own. Plans for working in the hottest clubs in New York where being a DJ was tantamount to being a celebrity.

Not that Rei wanted the fame, though he was used to that from his days of being 'number one' at his school. But the lifestyle; living in the edgiest city in the world where you were surrounded by dynamic energy and eccentric people…and could still be alone with your own thoughts. Be your own man.

But life could be unpredictable, and the death of one parent had caused the other to become heavily dependent on him and family expectations suddenly thrust on him. So the ever-practical Rei had put aside his own desires and instead plotted a new course for medical school so he could take over his late father's medical practice.

"Good old Rei." He mocked himself and his deference to his family's obligations.

Never mind that Rei had no interest in medicine; he had the brains and was fast gaining the skills, which was enough to please his family. But it bugged the hell out of him that his circle of friends with whom he had graduated high school had since finished college and had started challenging careers and were leading exciting lives while he was still spending his days in boring lectures or at the hospital and spending his nights studying.

A flicker of movement caught his attention and he pulled himself out of his reverie. He ran a flat hand down his broad chest to straighten the Valentino black dress shirt over long blue jeans, his heavy Tungsten Carbide Beveled ring glinting in the artificial light, a silver Citizen watch on his left wrist. Rei wasn't vain, but he had always had a sharp sense of style, and his family could afford the best.

As he began to walk further into the lounge heading for the coffee counter an arresting feminine voice stopped him in his tracks.

"While you're up there, grab me a chocolate mocha latte double espresso. I'll pay you back later, k?" The familiar woman's voice managed to sound both alluring and wheedling at the same time.

Rei allowed himself a rare smile before resuming his stony expression. Now he remembered why he still came here. Because of the bewitching voice coming from the back of the chair in front of him. The cozy lounge area sported a plush couch and two wing back armchairs, one of which faced away from him. But he would know that voice anywhere. Had she been waiting for him, he wondered offhandedly? She was probably broke once again and hoping to mooch a hot drink and possibly even a meal from him.

A shapely tanned leg suddenly stretched into view, followed by another one, both curving over the arm of the chair, her body and face still hidden by the high back. Over the chair's other side, two jewelry covered, slender arms extended out gracefully, hands clasped together briefly to get the most out of her stretch before she retracted them and leveraged herself up into a more awake position.

Rei strolled casually over to the sofa nearest to her seat, his presence commanding the attention the room without even trying. He carelessly tossed two textbooks onto the stylish coffee table and lowered himself to the couch, perching on the edge since he knew he was required to get the coffee. But he would greet her first.

Ran was now sitting cross-legged in the comfy chair, arms loosely at her sides, her hands colorfully be-ringed and fingernails painted a shocking pink. She wore a Vintage gauzy white calf length skirt, loose and low riding that exposed and flattered her slim tanned belly. Her top was also white, baring her midriff and arms with a simple low cut neckline and a bit of lace to camouflage the raciness of the outfit, an expensive Bebe original. Classic Candie sandals with gold straps completed the outfit. Ran's motto today appeared to be 'if you've got it flaunt it.' Tomorrow she might show up covered head to toe, she was nothing if not unpredictable.

The all white outfit might have been boring on another, but Ran accessorized with multi faceted jewelry, all with a hint of white or silver that pulled the whole look together. The finishing touch was a belly ring with a red and white hibiscus flower charm, the focal point of many stares from the males in the coffee shop.

Rei was no exception, his eyes admiring the exposed golden skin and attractive physique, but much more subtly. An erotic image clouded his mind; a picture of her lying pliant on her back with him hunched over her, tongue swirling around the seductive dip of her navel. He blew out a breath and shook his head, banishing his wayward thoughts.

"Been waiting long Kotobuki?" His deep voice held a hint of sarcasm.

"What makes you think I was waiting for you?!" Ran demanded feistily before remembering that she was. "But since you're here, how about that drink?" She finished sweetly.

He gave a brief nod and got up to cross the room to the coffee counter to place their orders. Ran watched him go, unable to help herself from admiring his tall, lean body. In her younger years she had been clueless about men and had really started dating before she was ready, although Tatsuki had hardly counted as a boyfriend.

Now that she was older and better understood the whole man/woman dynamic, she was much more attuned to that sort of thing. And she had finally clued into the fact that Rei was _Hot_.

She had realized that before of course, but she had been under whelmed by his cold personality and by the fact that one of her best friends was practically obsessed with him. Now it seemed it was all Ran noticed when she looked at him. She knew that it was none of her business, but she was human after all and there was no rule against ogling.

And ogle she did. His intense good looks were only enhanced by his 'don't piss me off' attitude. He had been tall and cute in high school but adulthood had graced him with a muscled torso, a lean face, and an air of sexy confidence. Not to mention that powerful dark gaze.

Ran shivered a little in awareness glad he wasn't looking at her at the moment. The man's was dangerous to her peace of mind but it was best that he didn't know that. The uneasy 'friendship' that she and Rei now shared suited them both. They sniped at each other with smiling faces and feral grins but under all that was the uncomfortable awareness, a palpable tension when they were silent too long. So Ran made sure that didn't happen often.

As Rei returned with their orders he gingerly handed her the hot beverage with a muttered "careful" when she eagerly leaned forward to take it. Then he sat back down on the couch cradling the coffee cup in his hands and savoring the familiar warmth.

Ran held the aromatic brew under her nose, dreamily closing her eyes and inhaling the heady scent, as close to nirvana as she could get at the moment. Rei watched with silent appreciation as her chest rose and fell as she breathed in the fragrant blend, noting idly that the excessive eye makeup she wore did not detract from the natural beauty of her face. He smirked at the generous curving of her lips into a wanton smile. All that over a cup of coffee, he scoffed jealously.

She opened her eyes abruptly, catching his hard stare and for a moment their gazes locked and held in an unguarded moment of mutual appraisal. She blinked at the heated look on his face before he shifted, easily masking his reaction. Then his eyes narrowed, returning to hers. Wait, was that his imagination or had a quick tremor run over those deliciously bare shoulders of hers?

"Kotobuki…" He began quietly, but of course she stopped him as she always did.

"Otohata." She mocked childishly, and he gave a shrug of easy defeat. He had long ago given up and refused to waste any more time trying to figure out if she knew how he felt and was trying to stop him from saying something, or if she really was clueless about the whole thing.

She continued in that righteous tone of hers. "Why are you still carting those books around?" Ran scolded, poking a disdaining finger in the direction of the offensive medical materials.

Sighing, Rei rested his elbows on his knees, cradling the drink with both hands, his head bowed slightly in a rare acknowledgement of his weariness, both of school and of this particular argument.

"You know what I'm doing with those." He responded dismissively. Rei blew on his coffee, not looking at her, hoping she would get the hint.

"WHEN are you going to put a stop to this?" She wanted to know, her sense of justice getting an adrenaline spike. "You can't go through with this and you know it! You're not meant to be a doctor Rei, you're meant to be a DJ! When are you going to stand up to your family?!" Ran demanded with a frown.

His eyes cut over to her, cold as black ice. The look would have intimidated a lesser person, but never Ran. "Mind your own business Kotobuki." He ordered, not in the mood to argue with her.

Shifting in her cozy chair, Ran leaned forward to put her drink of the coffee table, then slid gracefully out of her seat onto the hardwood floor in front of Rei in an inelegant heap. Reaching up a hand she pulled his cup from his unresisting grasp and placed it behind her on the table as well. Then turning back to face him, still kneeling, she raised a hand to stroke his forearm, looking up into his eyes, her own serious for a change.

"Rei, you're not happy, anyone can see that." She told him softly, pleading with him to listen.

Rei scoffed; he doubted that. He was known to have a poker face, and had been careful to keep his dissatisfaction with his families plans to himself. No one knew how frustrated and angry he was, so how could she?

Annoyed, he ran a hand through his hair, shoving the unruly bangs out of his eyes, but when his gaze switched to the figure of Ran before him, all thoughts emptied out of his head.

She was on her knees before him, the picture of a goddess in her long white skirt, the material fanning out around her like flower in full bloom. Her smooth skin glowed with health from her decidedly sexy shoulders to her long slender arms. His eyes roved over her feminine figure as though unable to help himself.

But what captivated him the most were those amazing eyes, full of vitality and life. Full of compassion. For him. The force of that look would have sent any number of her fan club members into ecstasy, but he was strong enough, man enough to withstand her charms. After all, he had been doing it for years, he thought to himself wryly.

"Look, not that I don't appreciate your attempts to fix my life," He said haughtily, ignoring her sincere gaze, "but I've made my decision and I'm going to follow through with it. End of discussion." Rei finished determinedly, reaching around her to pick up his coffee, taking a mouthful of his still piping hot drink.

Ran gave a sound of disgust both for him and his attitude, and stood up taking the drink from his hands yet again and placing it back on the table next to hers. "Don't drink it yet you moron, its still too hot!" She admonished, then turned around and sat down next to him on the couch instead resuming her former place in the big comfy chair. Ran played absently with her many bracelets while she studied him. "Look Rei, all I'm saying is…" She began, doggedly when he cut her off with another harsh look.

She refused to give up, he thought exasperatedly and while it was one of her more admirable traits when aimed at someone else, it bugged the hell out of him when she did it to him.

"Look Kotobuki." He decided to change the subject to something else. "If you're going to give advice on someone's life, don't you think you should think about straightening up yours first?" He derided.

Ran shrugged, unfazed. "Whatever! I may not be doing something big like saving the world, or becoming a _doctor_…" this said with heavy sarcasm. "But I'm happy with my life, and the fact that I didn't cave and do what my family all wanted me to do even though I would have been great at it if I had!"

"Yeah, they must be so proud of you, working at a fish warehouse at night and a pizzeria during the day." Rei said snidely, "You must be making mad dough." He knew he was being unnecessarily rude, but he was frustrated with his lack of momentum in his life and tired of her lecturing.

Ran lifted an eyebrow in derision, seeing through his thinly veiled hostility. "Mad dough?" She snickered, "how can you even say that with a straight face?"

"Shut up Kotobuki," Rei continued rudely, still trying to get a rise out of her. "Doesn't it bother you that your friends gone off to exciting jobs overseas like Aya, or married with a baby on the way like Miyu? That all those kids that looked up to you and imitated you have moved on, and you haven't? That you got left behind?"

Instead of getting angry or hyper as he expected, she stared at him searching his eyes with soulful intensity. "Oh, Rei," She said softly in sympathy. "Is that what's bothering you?" Unexpectedly she leaned her head onto his shoulder, tucking her arm under his in a rare display of solidarity.

He hated that she was so intuitive at times like this. He hated that he needed her comforting presence so much when she didn't seem to need him at all. And he hated that she was right. "It's not fair, damn it." He said under his breath, but without real heat. He had accepted his decision to peruse medicine, so what was the point of mulling over what might have been?

For a moment he leaned his chin atop her bowed head, drawing strength from her. How did he and Ran, two 'leader of the pack' types become the ones left behind while the others who had lived in their shadows had passed them by and moved on? Why had he and Ran been the ones struggling and alone? He gave a soft sigh, deciding he had had enough. It wasn't like him to mope; it wasn't in his pragmatic nature.

Rei straightened, dislodging Ran from his side. He leaned forward to pick up his coffee and his books. "It's time I get out of here, I've got studying to do." He said evenly, hoping she would let him go without any further argument.

Ran watched his face carefully, wishing she could sooth his pain, though he would deny his feelings if she were to say anything. So she decided to do what he needed most. Cheering him up.

"What? You're going to go home and study on a Friday night?" She said in her most disdainful voice.

"What do you care, Kotobuki?" Rei asked mildly, impatiently waiting to see where this would lead. Was she going to have the gall to bleed him for a meal after their argument? It wouldn't be the first time she had done so, and it bugged him that she had no problems using him.

Ran paused, almost ready to blurt out 'because you matter to me' but instead held her tongue. This was Aya's ex, and though the two hadn't been together for a long time her friend still had very strong feelings about Rei and Ran suspected she always would. And Ran didn't betray her friends no matter how badly she wanted something for herself. But, she reminded herself Rei was her friend too, and right now he needed this, whether he realized it or not. She just wanted to see him smile again.

"How about we go out somewhere instead?" Ran suggested.

Rei paused in the act of turning to leave, debating where to take her up on her offer. This was probably just another invitation for him to treat her to pizza.

"What did you have in mind?" He asked casually.

Seeing his interest, Ran began to get an idea. "What about a club?" She suggested, thinking that maybe if she could get Rei into a high energy environment he might get inspired to rethink his decision about becoming a DJ. It was a farfetched plan, but Ran was known for those, and sometimes they actually worked.

"Subtlety isn't your thing Kotobuki." Rei said, immediately guessing why she had mentioned it. Disgusted, he turned to leave.

"Well, what did you want to do?" She asked, quickly giving up on her first idea, but still wanting to get him to relax by whatever means necessary.

Rei turned to study Ran for a moment while he made up his mind. Looking directly in her eyes so she couldn't misinterpret his intentions he said; "Dinner-someplace nice."

'A date' his tone implied.

Ran hesitated, wanting to accept; after all it was a free meal! But she also knew this was dangerous ground. "Um…" She stalled, trying to think of anything else they could do instead that didn't sound so…'date-like'.

"Forget it." Rei dismissed, tiring of her games. "Later." He was leaving and Ran knew she had no choice, he needed to get out of his funk and she was the only one who could do it.

"Ok, Ok!" She said quickly before she could change her mind. "Dinner someplace fancy. But don't forget you're paying!" Ran continued, her heart pounding a little faster. She was agreeing to a date, she knew it without a shadow of a doubt. She was going to have to be careful, and watch herself this evening. She was becoming more vulnerable to him lately, and in this mood, who knew what he might do or say. Aya's sad smile loomed in Ran's worried mind. This wasn't smart, she told herself confusedly. But she didn't know how else to reach him.

Rei moved to stand over her for a moment, looking down at her, debating whether he should take a chance and see where tonight could lead or if it would be just another dead end evening. Clearly she didn't want this to be a 'date' date, but suddenly he was determined to make sure that's exactly what it was. "Fine, if I'm paying, then I choose the entertainment afterwards." His voice sounded challenging.

She gulped, suddenly feeling like they were playing some head game she didn't know the rules too. "No problem!" She responded exuberantly, though her words were energetic, he could see the nervousness too.

"How about if I pick you up at 7 then?" He pushed; reiterating common dating etiquette so there would be no question as to what it was. This was definitely NOT just two friends hanging out.

"...I...sure thing!" She said, her voice a little less enthusiastic. She was beginning to sweat, which was crazy. She was the great Ran Kotobuki for Pete's sake! She didn't get nervous over guys, they got nervous over her!

Rei moved in closer, their bodies practically touching and she had to tilt her head back a little more so she could still look him in the eye. But that was becoming harder and harder to do as his gaze became more intense. "Dinner and a movie." He bargained, his calm voice at odds with the adrenaline pumping through him. "Then maybe a club afterwards, _if_ you're good." This said with a smile. His heart was starting to pound hard with excitement though outwardly he appeared collected.

"I thought you didn't like going to the movies…" She trailed off, blinking at the nearness of him.

"Tonight's different." Was all he said, waiting for her acquiescence. For a guy who never got worked up about anything, he was getting pretty worked up about this. So much for his legendary cool, he thought to himself wryly.

Unable to hold his gaze any longer, she made the mistake of glancing down at his mouth and felt anticipation bubbling through her. "Ok." She nodded, half whispering.

Rei felt electricity raging through his entire system at the way she was looking at him. His breathing became slightly labored. It was the first time she had ever acknowledged any attraction towards him, and he was struggling mightily not to lean forward and kiss her senseless, to finally claim the free spirited Ran for himself.

But he wouldn't. Because he knew what would happen then. She would quickly cancel their plans for tonight, and any chance at a relationship would be blown, all over one kiss no matter how incredible it was. Pulling away and breaking the spell that had ensnared them both, he headed for the door, throwing over his shoulder, "Be ready by 7 Kotobuki, you know how I hate to wait."

Ran watched him go, shock on her face. What had just happened here? She could have sworn she had all but offered herself to him and he had just ignored it! Ran shook her head to clear it. It was a good thing of course; she tried to convince herself, ignoring the stinging feeling of rejection. After all she had momentarily forgotten all the reasons why she shouldn't get involved with him and had practically thrown herself at him. Talk about a close call!

Aya's tear stained features swam before Ran's gaze before she shook her head banishing the thought. She couldn't stand how mopey the girl had been over Rei, it wasn't the way she herself did things at all. 'Take Action' was her motto! But Aya had proved to be one of her very best friends over time, even if she was still hung up on a guy she had broken up with 7 years ago. Ran sighed, her thoughts and heart uncharacteristically heavy.

Then she glanced at her watch. Yikes, it was already four o'clock! She had some shopping to do for tonight. Any excuse to buy clothes, even if it was just a night out with Rei. She just wished she had more money to spend! Even with two jobs, rent and bills took most of her dough. But she always managed to eek out a little for the latest trends; after all she was a 'Gal for Life!' Excited, she burst out of the door and down the street towards Shibuya.

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	2. Chapter 2

Just want to see you smile again.

by Luvdarain5

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Chapter Two: Mmmmm

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Later that evening Ran was putting the finishing touches on her make up when she heard the roar of a motorcycle in her apartment complex parking lot. She wondered if that meant the weirdo across the hall from her was having another party, which consisted of hanging out in the stairwell, drinking and ogling any women that walked by. Of course they didn't bother her anymore, not since she had given them an earful and kicked a guy in the shins-hard. Or since they had learned she had police protection in the form of her entire family.

Capping her mascara, she tossed it on her bathroom counter and stepped back to admire the full affect of her outfit.

She wore a fitted twisted balloon twinkle skirt in dense black and white, which stopped just above her knees and emphasized her slim legs and sleek figure. Reaching up, she adjusted her top, a snug black skintight piece that hugged her curves lovingly, but was hardly indecent-after all the scooped neckline was somewhat modest, the three quarter length sleeves a perfect concession to the evening chill. Bright blood red Anne Kline Pascal sling backs adorned her feet. All together she looked dressed for an evening out 'someplace nice' but she still looked 'Ran Kotobuki' hot.

She reached up to fluff her blonde waves, a trio of thin silver cuff bracelets jangling with the movements. Ran figured she looked good enough for a 'non date' with Rei. But even if it was only having dinner, a movie and possibly a little club hopping with the guy, he was a 'hunk' and he deserved to have an attractive companion. Well, she fit the bill there, she thought with a sassy grin.

A heavy knock on her door startled her, and she glanced at her imitation Gucci watch. He was punctual at least. She would give him that. Little butterflies that she had tried to ignore all afternoon stirred in her tummy, and she took a deep breath, ordering herself to relax. Come on, she reminded herself, it was Rei; they had hung out many times before. She would tease him about his cold demeanor, and he would give her a hard time about her gal attitude.

But the moment Ran opened the door; she realized all at once that she had been lying to herself. Rei was stood framed in the doorway, looking like the proverbial 'bad boy' model just having stepped off the runway. She expelled a shaky breath and felt her palms go damp.

"H...Hey!" She forced her cheerful personal to the forefront to cover her nervousness. "You're right on time! Great! Ready to go?" She danced from one heel to the other, her anxiety translating to excess energy.

His eyes took in the sight of her, his gaze appreciative. "Aren't you going to invite me in Ran?" He asked amused, inclining his head towards her living room, small and furnished with her funky and eclectic taste.

Her eyebrow shot up, taking in several surprises at once. One; he was calling her by her first name. Two; he was being sociable. And Three; unless she missed her guess, he was…flirting with her a little?

"Aw come on, I'm starving!" She tried to distract him, but was exasperated when he instead walked past her and made his way into her apartment. "Well come on in Otohata!" She said sarcastically, shooting a dirty look at his back.

"Don't mind if I do," He murmured, his voice husky. Ran stared at him, wondering what was going on and worse, what she was going to do about it. What in the world was going on with here…?

He wandered around the room, chuckling to himself over her messy housekeeping. The place was cute, and when it was clean it was probably charming, but he wondered how often it ever reached that state.

Looking around, he noted it was full of color, mostly from the hundreds of photographs of her friends and family scattered everywhere. He noticed a small half moon shaped table close to him that sported a few and he picked up a group picture of them that had been taken years ago. Had he ever been that young, he wondered cynically?

In the picture he had been standing in the back, Aya shyly posing next to him. Ran had been in the forefront, flashing a V sign and a huge grin. His supposed his feelings for her had been unavoidable; her zest for life, a strong sense of justice and her self-confidence had attracted him, even as her lazy attitude and money hungry attitude had repelled him.

Rei remembered his disgust with himself at the time, falling for a silly 'gal' when there were many more nice, _normal_ girls out there. He silently laughed at his youthful arrogance. If only he had known then that it wasn't 'just a phase' or passing fancy. He had fallen hard then, and was still feeling the after effects all these years later.

Putting the picture back in its place, he turned to study the object of his desire who was being unusually quiet at the moment, standing by the door watching him warily.

"Not much of a hostess, are you Ran?" He mused, "You haven't even offered me anything to drink."

"I _thought_ we were supposed to be going out somewhere," She said huffily, to cover her anxiety. "If you want something to drink, I'll go see what I can find." She said ungraciously. She began to head off to the kitchen when she was forced to veer off to follow him.

"Hey, HEY! What do you think you're doing?" She demanded, as he randomly opened a door, delighted to discover he had found her bedroom.

"Nothing" He answered offhandedly, while flicking on the light switch near the door, and walking further into the room to survey the damage her sanctuary appeared to have suffered.

"Well you can't just come in here, this isn't your apartment!" Ran said angrily, trying to tug him back out the door.

Shaking his head, Rei took in the multitude of shoes littering the floor, the closet doors gaping wide open with several new looking outfits hanging off every available surface and various undergarments, belts and purses heaped onto the bedspread.

He turned to face her with a quirked eyebrow. "All this fuss over me?" He derided in a cool voice.

"Yeah right, if you think I did all this just for you tonight, you're crazy in the head!" She disdained, desperately trying to cover her tracks.

Rei's gaze traveled up from her stylish shoes and form fitting clothing up to her sparkling nails and glossy hair. "At least it was worth it." He informed her smoothly. "You look beautiful Ran."

"…I…Thanks…." She stuttered painfully. "So do you." She hadn't meant to say that, and turned away in embarrassment. When was the last time she had blushed like that, she wondered bewilderedly? 'Watch it Ran!' She lectured herself, angry at her wayward tongue.

Rei shrugged, casually accepting the compliment but pleased that his efforts had paid off. He wore Rock & Republic Floyd boot cut jeans and a Versace pale yellow speckled shirt with the top two buttons open, giving her an enticing view of his smooth chest. His bark leather necklace with the eagle pendant was mimicked in his Boston Traveler red leather belt with a similar eagle buckle. A thin black Dolce & Cabanna jacket completed the look. For warmth, he had brought an expensive dark brown leather coat that he had laid on her sofa when he first arrived. He had already received several _very_ appreciative looks from interested woman on his ride over.

Wandering over towards the bed, Rei examined the clothing scattered across it with a jaundiced eye. Reaching down, he picked up a dainty fuchsia colored scrap of lace. Dangling it between his thumb and forefinger, he turned back to her, a grin on his handsome face.

"Nice panties." He commented, unable to resist the temptation to tease her.

Growling, she marched up to him and reached up to snatch them away from him.

"Give me back my panties Rei!" She ordered, ignoring how childish and intimate that sounded.

He grinned and held them aloft, playfully away from her grasp, feeling spontaneous in a way he hadn't in a long time, if ever. Ran stood on her brightly clad tip toes, her body following the lines of his in order to try to grab the silky underwear he held in his hand.

It only took a few seconds into the game for Rei to realize that the air had become thick with awareness and he was finding it rather difficult to breath. His grin slid away to be replaced by a look of searing intensity. Ran was practically pressed up against him, the erotic scent of her perfume and the heat of her body this close to his was affecting him so badly that he barely registered what he was doing.

While his right hand continued to hold the panties just out of her grasp, his left hand drifted up to the womanly curve of her waist just under her shirt, providing balance as she was precariously leaning on the unsteady tips of her outrageous shoes.

His thumb slowly stroked the warm soft skin, lightly tracing the inner contour of her hip. Her breathing hitched at the soft caress. Subtlety he pulled her even closer so that they were now meshed up against one another, the seam of their two bodies fused together into one.

It was an odd and unsettling sensation for the great Ran Kotobuki to be left feeling small and feminine. But being held against his taller muscled body made her feel just that.

Ran couldn't look away from him, couldn't move, afraid that she might dislodge his feather light, yet maddening touch. Her hand, which had been stretched out to claim back her personal belonging lowered to rest onto his chest, lightly clutching the thin fabric of his shirt. Her other hand unconsciously curled around a bicep.

Rei's hand convulsively contracted in the underwear he no longer up, his hand having dropped to his side, the game forgotten completely in this wake of this new, more pleasurable pursuit.

Unable to bear the heat of his gaze, her eyes glanced down to the skin visible beneath his open collar. Ran closed her eyes, leaning forward to place a soft kiss over the rapid heartbeat.

Rei knew he had to stop this now or things would spiral out of control and he would lose this chance to show her how things could be between them. Not just a flickering attraction, but a solid, real relationship. Stepping back before her lips made contact he slowly he raised his other hand, holding the pretty lingerie out to her in a peace offering.

Ran stared blankly at it before a moment, then glanced up at him, seeing the remote look on his face. Little did she know he was fighting to hide his reaction to her.

Grateful for the chance to break the mood and belatedly save face, Ran grabbed them from him and snapped "Don't you dare touch my panties again Rei!"

"Not without an invitation anyway." He conceded suggestively. Their eyes held for a moment longer before he turned and left.

She stood staring open mouthed as he walked from the room.

Ran quickly scrambled after him, rushing into the living room, only to careen into his back as he had stopped, again looking at another picture.

"Aren't you ready to go yet?" She asked a little desperately, he was really starting to get to her!

Rei put down the picture he had been holding and turned to her, his eyes raking over her appearance once more. "Do you need a coat? It's a little chilly out there…"

"I can't believe you brought your motorcycle." She huffed as she went to her hall closet, searching for something to go with her outfit.

"Cars in the shop." He answered blandly. Ran looked at him suspiciously. He shrugged innocently.

Finally pulling out a black straight lined short waisted Ann Taylor jacket, she shrugged it on and declared herself ready to go.

She bent to scoop up her purse and when she rightened herself, she found him standing right in front of her. "H-hi." She stuttered in surprise.

"Just one more thing before we go." Rei murmured, moving in even closer to her. He reached up a hand to lightly grasp the side of her neck and his large fingers gently caressed the sensitive skin under her hair, his thumb stroking an idle path along her chin.

She frowned uncertainly, her stomach jumping wildly. "What kind of joke is this Otahata?" Ran wanted to know; sure he was messing with her.

But he wasn't. Without answering, he bent his head and pressed a soft, tender kiss to her surprised lips. Pulling back slightly, his serious eyes searched her face, looking for any sign of rejection or revulsion. What he saw caused him to smile slightly before angling his head and returning to her mouth for another feathery brush of her lips. As though he couldn't seem to help it he repeated himself, sampling her mouth with gentle kisses, reverent strokes, shared light breaths. Ran was quickly falling under his spell again, and after the forth or fifth kiss, she titled her head back slightly for better access, never thinking to fight his hypnotic spell.

Neither closed their eyes, each languidly watching the other though slumberous gazes. But all too soon one such kiss began to linger, threatening to turn serious when neither could find the strength to pull away. Ran's heavy eyelids slid closed in surrender, her grip on Rei tightening, her movements becoming urgent as she tried to get closer, feeling his withdrawal. Rei finally forced himself back, mentally cursing himself for his stupidity in starting this, and released her abruptly.

He moved away, his heart beating double time as he blindly searched for his jacket. Ran stood motionless, rooted to the spot.

"Rei." She finally spoke, pulling his attention back to her. She sounded subdued, not at all like her normal exuberant self. "What was that about?" It was a ridiculous question but something compelled her. Was she ready for revelations this early in the evening?

He regarded her steadily, his eyes meeting hers directly as he rocked her world with a simple answer. "I couldn't wait until the end of the night to taste you Ran." He said huskily.

Her eyes fluttered in pleasured shock. Her heart thumped heavily in her ears. She looked around blindly, searching for a chair. She needed to sit down before she fell down! When he was so erotically intense like this, it gave her chills of the best kind.

This was going to be a long night, she thought crazily, when all she wanted to do at the moment was stay home and continue where they had left off.

"…I…" She wasn't sure what she would have said, but it appeared he wasn't ready to get into anything yet. He turned his back and murmured for her to 'come on' as he headed for the door.

Little did she know he was fighting everything in him not to go back to her and finish what they had started. Her obvious arousal and heady response to his admission was turning him on in a big way. But he was determined to get through this night. To show her they could have more than just a physical relationship. To show her that they belonged together.

For the first time in the past few abysmal years, Rei felt truly alive.

Ran trotted to the door, her steps bouncier than she felt at the moment. Maybe she was buoyed by thoughts of what was to come. But her head was befuddled with warring thoughts. Otahata was a great kisser! But Aya was one of her best friends and still pining over the jerk. But Aya was no match for Rei. Oh, and she was? Ran wondered. He was the complete opposite of her; he would drive her crazy…right? But they had been friends this long and had lasted, she reminded herself contradictorily.

"AAAARRRGGG!!" She yelled out loud.

Rei regarded her with a cocked eyebrow. "Everything ok Kotobuki?" He asked calmly, but not with real concern. The man seemed to know she was feeling conflicted, she thought sourly.

"I'm fine. Everything's fine! Lets go!" She commanded, and marched around him, heading out to the hallway as she waited for him to follow. She pulled the door shut and began trying to lock it. Then she remembered she had forgotten her cell and had to go back in to get it.

Rei could see she was aggravated but wisely said nothing, sensing that she wasn't angry with him so much as confused by the situation. Which was good, it meant she was reevaluating their relationship. It was exactly what he wanted.

The two walked down the hall silently with Ran in the lead. There was noise coming from the hallway and she leaned over to look down and saw that her idiot neighbor had in fact staked out the stairwell, along with a couple of buddies. Beers lined the steps and the clink of bottles and not yet drunken laughter could be heard.

"Great." Ran muttered. "Come on Rei, let's be quick before these losers try to get us to stay for a drink. Remember to just say no." She quipped.

"Gotcha." Rei answered mildly amused. "But they look like such a great crowd." He mocked.

"Actually they're more like a bunch of lecherous jerks." She confided with a grin. "But don't worry, I'll protect you." She added.

Ran frowned on hearing this little tidbit. If she considered them to be lecherous, that meant that they had likely bothered her in the past. Though he had no doubts that she could stand up for, and certainly protect herself the idea of these guys hassling her in her own apartment complex bugged him.

She began clunking down the stairs, her footsteps purposefully heavy in order to announce their presence to the guys below.

As they descended the second level of stairs, they came into view.

"Hey, its Ran!" Greeted the overly enthusiastic ringleader. He was actually kind of a dorky guy, non descript brown hair, a slight belly and a j-crew turtle neck that didn't fit in with the other more hard core guys who joined him. But he was the one with the money, ergo the beer.

The other guys looked up, eager to see a new face, but when they recognized the girl who could kick their asses and had, they quickly looked elsewhere offering halfhearted 'hellos'.

"Hi." Ran acknowledged, though it wasn't her usual friendly greeting. She was watching them to make sure they stayed in line, and they knew it.

They descended most of the steps without incident, but the stairway was narrow with the guys sitting along it, so that when Ran passed one guy, and he was treated to an up close view of her legs in the tight skirt and he allowed his eyes to roam, certain she couldn't see him.

But he quickly averted his stare and broke into a cold sweat when the tall muscular guy behind her stopped and glared down at him. Then Rei leaned down on his haunches to look him right in the eye, and the terrified wannabe biker was ready to bolt. "Mine." Rei growled softly so that she wouldn't hear. He jerked a thumb in Ran's direction, where she had stopped and turned to see what the hold up was, wrinkling her brow in consternation. "Got it?" The man nodded overenthusiastically but wisely remained silent. Satisfied, Rei stood and the two continued down the stairs, while he ignored her piqued query of 'what was that all about?'

As they escaped the confined of the stuffy foyer and broke out into the evening air, Ran breathed in the crisp air with loud appreciation. "Ah, what a gorgeous night, huh Rei?"

Looking up at the moon just beginning to show itself though it was still light out, Rei drew in a deep breath as well. As he glanced over to look at her staring up into the sky, he felt his heart beat increase in anticipation of the evening. "Gorgeous." He said agreed softly, thinking that she was.

xxxxxx

To Be Continued...


	3. Chapter 3

Just want to see you smile again.

By Luvdarain

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Falling

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Unaware of his scrutiny, Ran made her way over to his bike, having ridden on it a time or two in the past. The thrill seeker in her loved the bike, but tonight was not the best night for something like this. "Man, I can't believe you brought your bike, my legs are going to get cold!" She complained.

"Hey, you knew we were riding this when I arrived, you had time to change." He responded unsympathetically. Besides she had great legs, it would be a crime to hide them under slacks.

She made a face at him.

"I saw that Kotobuki." He said, though he had his back to her. Her distorted features were mirrored on the chrome of his bike, and he smiled at the image.

"Whatever. Do I have to wear a helmet? What about my hair?" She was almost whining.

"I imagine without a helmet, it will be a lot more tangled." He reasoned as he handed her the item in question.

Privately she agreed to that, so she plonked it on and answered him with a muffled "O.k., fine."

Rei easily swung his legs over the bike with the grace of long practice. He pulled the bike up as close to the curb as possible to give her the extra leverage to get herself onto the seat behind him.

"Luckily this isn't a tight skirt." She muttered sarcastically, because of course it was. Finally, she had to just hitch it up enough to be able to straddle the seat and declared herself ready. She put her hands on his waist, her slim fingers hooking into the belt loops securely. And then they were off.

Rei kept his speed in check since he had a passenger, but the air was cooler with the bike in motion, and Ran found herself getting cold. She quickly scooted up to him as much as possible, pressing herself into his back so he could block the wind, tucking her legs in behind his and sliding her arms around to barely clasp over his belly trying to gain body heat.

Of course she couldn't help but notice how firm and muscular Rei was when she was practically draped all over him. Damn it, why did the guy have to be so hot, she wondered to herself. And he was smart and interesting. Sure he could be cold at times. But he had great taste in music and liked to do some of the same daredevil things she liked to. And best of all he was confident and sure of himself. He knew his own mind and wasn't afraid to do the right thing even if people disliked him for it. Traits that Ran herself admired and firmly believed in.

Sighing quietly to herself, Ran had a rare moment of worry. 'What am I doing?' She wondered. 'What about Aya?'

Turning his head slightly Rei shouted back to her. "You ok?"

Ran was surprised, she hadn't said anything out loud, had she? She nodded and shouted back. "Fine, you?"

He didn't answer, but Ran suspected he knew she was still feeling confused. Sometimes the dratted man knew her too well.

They drove into the city, the lights getting brighter the closer they got. Slowing his speed considerably, Rei was able to maneuver in and out of the evening traffic and was able to find motorcycle-parking right near a cluster of restaurants.

Ran got off first, and stood staring at the building they were in front of. It was a fancy place of course, but it looked a little _too_ posh for her. The people waiting in line were very dressed up, and she tugged her skirt down as far as it would go, conscious that she had been fairly exposed when she had gotten off the bike.

"So, what do you think?" Rei asked casually as he took her helmet from her and locked them both onto his bike. "They have great food." He commented, watching her reaction to the very upper crust place.

"It's…interesting." She said, for some reason unwilling to tell him she didn't feel comfortable going in. She who always spoke her mind was hesitant about doing so now. Ran frowned. Was it because she didn't want him to think she wouldn't fit in?

"Interesting." Rei agreed. Then he took her hand and tugged it lightly to uproot her from the spot. "Now come on, our restaurant's over here."

Ran looked over at him with a slight moue of surprise before she noticed his sly grin. "Why…you…Otahata!!" She fussed, feeling a release of pressure in her chest. Ok, so maybe they would have some fun tonight.

And besides, she liked the way he said 'our restaurant'…

Rei snickered, enjoying his little joke and Ran thought that if nothing else, at least he was relaxing and seemed happier than he had in awhile. If nothing else happened, she would still count this night a success for that alone.

Ran followed Rei to the restaurant he had indicated, unaware that they were still holding hands. She noticed the bright colors and interesting music pumping from the open door, and best of all the mouth-watering aromas wafting out to mingle with the cool evening air.

"Hey, it's 'The Machika!'" Ran realized with a squeal. "I've been dying to try this place!" She said gleefully.

"I had a feeling." Was all Rei answered, and walked up to the maitre d' who was wearing a vibrant uniform of orange and black. There was a wait of about 20 minutes, so Ran took the coaster that promised to light up when their table was ready and the two wandered back onto the street right outside to wait.

There were a few benches scattered outside and some of the other patrons waiting for their coasters to come alive sat there as well, so seating was limited. Rei found a single open spot and gestured for Ran to sit, while he stood next to her.

Talking to each other was awkward this way though, and Rei finally gave up, turning to lean on a metal rail that was lined up behind the benches and looked out into the traffic crawling by. Main Street on a Friday night was hell, he thought randomly.

After a few boring minutes of talking to some girl sitting on the bench next to her, Ran excused herself from the conversation. It felt weird to be here with Rei but not talking to him. So she got up and encouraged a mother and daughter who had just arrived and had been forced to stand to have her seat, glaring at a large fellow sitting catty corner from her who had not offered to get up.

Turning away from the benches, Ran studied Rei for a moment while he had his back to her. With the streetlights just blinking on illuminating his intriguing face, his broad back slightly curved to lean over the railing, and one leg hitched up onto a lower rung he was the picture of studied indifference.

But he was a deep one, Ran knew. And he was probably lonely, missing his friends, the life he might have had, and especially his father who had held their family together all this time before he had passed away.

A bitter thought flitted through her busy brain. Was the only reason Rei was here was because he was lonely? Maybe tonight wasn't so much about the dynamic between them, or getting his mind off his studies but just about not wanting to be alone for a night. The thought bothered her a great deal.

Shrugging it off, Ran squared her shoulders and approached him. In a rare display of affection, she slid an arm in his, and sidled up next to him. "Hey." She said softly, "Remember me? Your 'date' for the night?" Ran knew the reminder wasn't wise, but she sensed heavy thoughts on his mind and wanted him to forget his problems.

Little did she know _she_ was the thought that was troubling him.

She looked up at him expectantly, and Rei studied her beautiful features for a moment, wanting nothing more than to lean down and kiss her until they both were dizzy with pleasure. That mouth of hers that got her into constant trouble was also a frequent source of temptation to him. How would she react if he confessed that he was in love with her? That he had been since they were teenagers?

She would become belligerent and obstinate most likely. Would bring up Aya and their complicated past. Or worse, she might just tell him she wasn't interested, and didn't feel the same way. That she didn't go for 'cold fishes' as she had once called him. And their relationship would never be the same. She would avoid him, leave when he entered a room, skip out on reunions with their friends and he wouldn't see her any more.

But tonight, something was different. She appeared to be mellow, and the 'preview of coming attractions' in those kisses at her apartment had been promising. Maybe they could finally stop dancing around one another and make things happen. . If he took things slow, maybe they could finally make some progress.

And she could be his one bright spot in his otherwise abysmal life.

"Rei?" She queried softly when he didn't respond.

'Patience be damned' he thought suddenly, leaning in to kiss her despite his plans to take things slow. He needed this. Rei noted with satisfaction that her chin lifted to meet him and her eyes were sliding closed in delicious anticipation.

He was inches from her lips when a faint but insistent buzzing sound interrupted them. Ran pulled quickly back, eyes widening, looking around them wildly before she realized it was the restaurants coaster, and she tugged it from his jacket pocket where it had been stashed. "Table's ready." She said, a hint of relief in her voice. She turned and began walking quickly to the door.

"Ran…" He called softly. She turned from her progress to the door, thinking he wanted her to wait for him. "This isn't over." He told her as he reached her, taking the coaster from her and grasping her hand in the other to head for the beaming maitre d'.

"I know." Ran mumbled to herself, tucking in her chin. But he heard. Of course he heard.

As the two were shown to their table, she glanced around with a sigh of anticipation. The walls were smooth and painted bright desert sky colors. The floor plan was open and tables close enough together that intimate conversation wouldn't be possible. There would be no chance of a romantic meal at this place! The sound of cheerful laughter and the clatter of silverware filled the air, and Ran immediately fell in love with the place. It was fun and energetic; just her kind of thing!

The greeter let them to a short set of stairs so that they were on the upper level of the restaurant. It was only slightly elevated over the first so that both levels had a view of the bustling city outside the huge wall of windows. "As you requested sir, a corner table." The greeter said, seating Ran with a flourish.

Intrigued, Ran studied Rei. When had he requested that? She hadn't heard him.

Rei looked up and met her gaze but didn't answer her unspoken question.

Their waiter approached the table, taking their drink orders and reciting the evening's specials. Once he left Ran studied the glossy red menus while Rei studied her. She happened to glance up to ask him about a particular dish when she noticed him watching her. Her heart fluttered at the electricity between them. For once, she looked away feeling almost shy.

When their orders had been placed, and the menu's taken away, there was nothing left to hide behind. The couple made bland conversation, trying to find a safe topic.

"What do you think of the restaurant?" Rei wanted to know.

"I love it!" She answered with real enthusiasm. "They just need a Para Para dance floor to complete the scene!"

He laughed. "Figured you'd say that."

Ran grinned. "I _was_ the Para Para queen back in the day you know!"

"How could I forget?" He asked. "That crazy dance." Rei added shaking his head. But his smile was warm with remembered fondness. The way she gave her all to whatever she did, even if it was something ridiculous.

Rei's smile was making Ran nervous. So much for innocuous talk. He was so good looking! And when he gazed at her like that…like she was beautiful and special to him…it sent hot and cold chills racing down her spine. She was filled with nervous energy and she became much more animated to cover it up.

When the waiter arrived, she was still talking a mile a minute, gesturing all over the place and playing with everything from the salt and pepper shakers to taste testing the various hot sauces on the table.

Excitedly she ooh'd and ahh'd over first her meal then his. Then clasped her hands together and said "Itadakimasu!"

She reached for the rolled napkin in the middle of the table that was wrapped around her silverware when Rei lightly grasped her wrist, stilling her movements.

She looked up at him, her eyes bright from the forced gaiety. "What?" She asked with a grin.

"Ran, just calm down." He said in a low voice. His thumb stroked her inner wrist, feeling the pulse beating triple time there. "We'll take this one step at a time, ok?"

Her fake smile fell, and she swallowed hard. Jerking her wrist away, Ran picked up her fluted glass of chilled water and took a big gulp. "I'm fine." She denied, but her voice sounded more like her normal self.

Plunking down her heavy glass, she met his gaze head on. And what she saw there caused her to glance down at her plate. "Sorry." She murmured.

"It's ok." He answered reassuringly.

After that the meal went a little better. Awkwardly at first and then more naturally they began to talk about things going on with their daily lives. He shared stories of some of his weird medical professors and some of the odd classes he was required to take. She told him wild tales of her two jobs, her crazy bosses and her frequent attempts to get out of real work while making as much money as possible. Without realizing it the two began to relax, truly enjoying each other's company.

Mid conversation they were interrupted, as were the other patrons by a lot of clapping and shouting as the staff of the restaurant marched out bearing a slice of thick chocolate cake with a hissing sparkler on top and singing their version of the 'Happy Birthday' song.

Rei grumbled about the noisy commotion, Ran eyed the tasty looking cake.

A few moments later, Ran excused herself and disappeared to the ladies room. When she returned, she wore a wicked grin on her face.

"What are you up to Kotobuki?" Rei asked suspiciously.

"Oh nothing." She answered nonchalantly. The waiter returned to clear off their plates and Rei asked for a dessert menu. He wasn't big on sweets himself but he knew that Ran was.

She read the menu front and back, moaning appreciatively over the ones that sounded particularly promising, and unintentionally turning Rei on, just a little. To get back at her, he harassed her a bit.

"Kotobuki, you're drooling." He informed her dryly. He laughed when she swiped the back of her hand across her mouth, apparently taking him seriously. "No the other si-" He was continuing the joke when more clapping and shouts came from the direction of the kitchen as the parade of waiters came out bearing another piece of cake a la sparkler.

"Not again." Rei groaned, feeling sorry for whomever the cake was intended. Then he glanced over at Ran and saw her look of pure evil. "Ran, what did you do?" He growled, but of course by then he knew.

As the crowd of wait staff surrounded him in eye scorching colors shouting out their birthday song, Rei shot daggers at the feisty blond across from him who was laughing uncontrollably.

He mouthed the words 'I'll get you for this' but he was having trouble keep a straight face, she could tell. She laughed even harder, even as she shuddered ever so lightly at the implied threat. What form of retaliation would it be? She was guiltily aware that she was looking forward to finding out.

As soon as the waiters left, Ran reached over and grabbed the plate, sliding it over in front of her.

"Hey, that's my cake." Rei protested half-heartedly, but didn't stop her from taking it.

"Oh come on, you know you don't like sweets." She admonished as she dug in. "The only sweets you ever ate were Ay…" She stopped; food half way to her mouth and the two blinked at one another at the sudden mention of the taboo name between them.

"Yeah." Rei muttered, looking away, his jaw clenched. Damn the untimely reminder.

Ran ate a few forkfuls but somehow her appetite for the sticky sweet dessert wasn't as voracious as before.

She pushed the plate away unable to finish.

The two quietly made their way out of the restaurant once Rei paid the bill. Walking back into the street, Ran shivered, and pulled her coat closer around her, grateful for the warmth.

"So, where to from here?" Ran asked, trying to regain some of their earlier camaraderie. "You mentioned a movie and a club. Which is it?" She wanted to know.

He was brooding, but the sound of her voice broke into his thoughts. Turning to look down at her, he wasn't ready to sit in silence for two hours in a movie, or shout to her in a crowd of people at the club while competing for her attention.

"Neither." He said firmly, taking her hand. "At least not yet. Lets walk a little."

She tried to pull her hand out of his discreetly, still feeling guilty over the reminder of Aya. But he seemed determined not to let go and after a few attempts, she gave up and relaxed her hand in his.

They walked down Main Street, the noise and crowd surrounding them comfortably. Neither spoke, just enjoying the moment, and gradually the uncomfortable interlude began to fade in their minds.

"You know, this is kind of what I imagine New York to be like." Rei mused aloud. "Lots of energy, people from every walks of life, street bands and performances." He looked over at the man sitting on a set of cold cement stairs playing his guitar, a battered case in front of him, open with a couple bucks and a lot of change thrown in.

"Bet New York is a blast!" Ran agreed, "Lots of clubs and great fashion, not to mention the best food!" She smiled at the thought.

"Why is food always on your mind Kotobuki?" Rei asked somewhat sarcastically. He paused to shoot her an exasperated look and of course she was forced to stop as they were still attached.

"It's not the only thing on my mind." She answered hesitantly, uncertain how to take him in this mood. Her eyes dropped to his mouth, and her own parted in unconscious invitation.

"Kotobuki…" Rei censured softly, before giving in to his desire to taste of her. This time instead of the light kisses they had shared in her apartment, this was more exploratory. When he kissed her, their mouths parted slightly and tongues tentatively touched, both testing the others reaction. Mouths joined, lips lingered, clung and parted, only to join again.

"Spicy." She whispered between kisses, as though amazed at the taste, causing him to smile. Her heart tripped happily at the sight.

Caught off guard, someone bumped into them, hard enough to break them apart.

"Damn it." Rei muttered. "Jackass." He said rudely, loud enough for the guy to hear. They offender looked back guiltily before speeding up and disappearing into the crowd.

"Come on, lets get out of here." Rei said. Ran nodded in agreement. This wasn't the place for what they had in mind. But it was too soon for anything more, she worried.

They made their way back to his bike and he put Ran's helmet on for her this time.

"Where to?" He asked, letting her make the decision.

Ran lifted her eyebrows in surprise. She had thought this was his evening and she would just be dragged around to wherever he wanted to go. But he was giving her a choice!

She shrugged, unable to think of a place. At the moment neither the movie theater or the club sounded interesting. She wanted to be alone with him, but couldn't get the nerve to suggest going back to her place.

"If you don't have any idea's" He spoke calmly, "There's a place I'd like to show you. Though its kind of a cold night for it."

"No, I'm fine, lets go check it out!" Ran responded, grateful for his suggestion.

The two mounted the bike and drove slowly away from the city; picking up speed the further they got from the noisy traffic and busy hubbub behind them.

xxxxxxx

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

Just want to see you smile again.

By Luvdarain5

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Overlook

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Ran noticed they were steadily going up, each road getting a little steeper. The streetlights began to thin out until eventually there was no light but what shone from the motorcycle. Eventually they leveled off and he slowed the bike, finally stopping it at a dead end where the road pavement ran out and coarse gravel took its place. Rei parked his motorcycle and helped her off, removing her helmet for her. The small roadway was very dimly lit and overshadowed by a large wall of dirt and grass. It seemed very isolated.

"So, where are we?" Ran asked, both nervous and curious at the same time.

"You'll see." He said taking her hand again in what was becoming a natural act for them both. "Just a little further up." Rei urged and the two began walking up a dirt path. It was a little steep, with large rocks acting as steps, and Ran would have stumbled a couple times with the shoes she was wearing if not for Rei behind, her catching and righting her when she slipped.

"Just what is this?" She demanded, beginning to get irritated. She was going to scratch up her arms and legs if they kept this up. "What's so great about…" Ran broke off her rant when she reached the top just ahead of him, and she let out a startled gasp.

"Rei!" She whispered in awe. "It's beautiful!"

Ran came up behind her, smiling in satisfaction at her reaction. Placing his hands on her shoulders he lightly squeezed her through the layers she wore. "Like it?" He asked softly, though he already had her answer.

"It's amazing." Ran replied, unable to do more than take in the view. The bright light of the moon illuminated a small dark green field laid out before them, with a panoramic view of the city shining brightly just over the edge. Above that, the night sky stretched out, the stars gleaming like diamonds nested in a black velvet setting. It was the most breathtaking thing she had ever seen.

"Wow." Ran murmured, still trying to find the right words to describe how incredible it was.

"Come on." Rei said, moving around her to walk over closer to the edge. He turned and held out his hand, waiting for her to join him. For a moment she felt like she was Eve and he was Adam, and they were the only two people on the earth. This is what paradise must be like, she mused wildly. And wicked temptation.

She moved forward, approaching him slowly. As she came closer, her eyes became fixed on his face, instead of on the incredible view around them. They could not seem to look away from one another, and their surroundings and all else was forgotten.

"Thank you for bringing me here Rei." She said, speaking in subdued tones, in deference to the hush around them.

He reached out a hand to caress the softness of her cheek. "You're welcome." Was all he said, but he lowered his head for a kiss from her and she inhaled shakily at the feelings overwhelming her. What was happening now was stronger even than the physical attraction between them.

He kissed her insistently, almost reverently but did not deepen it into anything more. Releasing her, he took off his leather coat and tossed it on the ground, much to her confusion. Seating himself down, he motioned for her to join him. Gingerly she lowered herself so that she was sitting in front on him so that she was also sitting on his coat, her back aligned with his front. He bent his knees and wrapped his arms around her to keep her warm. She stretched out her legs and leaned her head back onto his shoulder, her arms resting on his legs. He turned and placed a kiss on her neck, as though unable to resist temptation, then signed blissfully. The warmth from his breath on her neck caused her to shiver and giggle at the same time.

"Hmm, you're not doing much for my ego to be laughing at a time like this." He commented, but she could hear the quirk of amusement in his voice.

"Sorry." She shivered harder, her stomach rioting with nerves and something more, and this time his amusement disappeared.

"Cold?" He asked too casually. But he knew the real reason. Because he was reacting just as forcefully to her. His heartbeat was thumping so strongly it threatened to kill him. He was struggling to stay cool but his emotions were demanding to be free, warring with the voice in his head which afraid that he would scare her off.

"I'm fine." She whispered, turning her head to the left ever so slightly to place a kiss on his shoulder. Ran felt a fine tremor sweep through him.

"Ran…" He began, his voice almost a plea, but she stopped him, speaking in a hushed tone.

"How did you find this place?" She wanted to know as though it were important. Her voice sounded urgent.

"It doesn't matter." He said, but for once not upset with her deflection. He sensed she was trying to tell him something.

"This place, its like you." She spoke sincerely, looking up at him as he stared out over the city while trying to calm his senses. Her comment pulled his attention back to her.

"How so?" He asked curiously.

She swallowed, not sure how to explain. "It's beautiful and isolated." Ran offered inadequately. He looked down at her, eyes locked, but it was a moment of understanding that transcended all else. "It's a place that's untouched by everything around it, like you." Ran tried again, still struggling to express what she felt, what she needed to tell him. She shook her head in frustration. "When I see this place, I cant imaging you wasting your life becoming a doctor Rei."

"Ran…" He voice held warning, but not dismissal. Tonight, he was listening. "You're very argument is a contradiction. Most people don't consider becoming a doctor a wasted life."

"But you're not most people. You're your own man, you always have been." She spoke, a little more desperately now. "I've seen you when you're in your own world where there's nothing but the music. It's almost like there's no one else there with you. You feel it deeply, it affects you on another level…its your dream! How can you give that up?" She demanded heatedly. Suddenly she saw his future, bleak and passionless, a life lived for his family where he never smiled ever again, and she was scared to death for him.

The words were too painful for Rei to hear, especially because they were laden with truth. He ground his teeth in denial, then bent his head angrily to hers, proceeding to shut her up the only way that he could.

Closing the gap between them, he kissed her savagely to punish her for her words. Ran accepted his fierce passion, knowing he was hurting and frustrated, and that her words had fueled his rage. But at the same time she felt herself mindlessly responding to his voracious appetite, giving as good as she got. Hands grabbled, tongues dueled, and growling could be heard coming from Rei. They were going to go up in flames if they kept on like this!

The hot passion burned itself out quickly, but the genuine feelings the two felt for one another began to re-assert themselves. Finally, _finally_ the kisses began to deepen and linger, to burgeon into something more sweetly lover-like. Soft sounds filled the air as the couple stroked and caressed, gasped with pleasure and began to give instead of taking.

Rei slowed his melting kisses, delving into her mouth, drugging Ran's senses. She twisted in his embrace, desperate to touch him all over. Breaking apart momentarily in order to turn and face him fully, she raised herself up on her knees so that _she_ now had to lean down to kiss _him_.

Reaching out Ran grasped his strong, beautiful face, holding him in place so that she could ardently kiss him back, gasping for breath when he reached his arms around her to pull her tightly to him, like steel bands clamping her up against him.

In the dark, the two were brave, daring. He couldn't seem to get enough of the taste of her. Hands ventured where they shouldn't, fingers traced invisible lines past the point of no return, mouths sampled forbidden fruit.

"That feels soooo good" Ran whispered reverently when his hands trailed over and down her shoulder blades to lightly caress the soft skin of her lower backside. Ticklish sensations swirled together with sexual ones and she squirmed at the incredible feelings, alternately moaning and sighing.

Her own hands were out of control, driving Rei to the edge of madness. She had shucked his black jacket, and unbuttoned the row of pearly yellow button studs. "Don't stop…Kotob-" Rei inhaled sharply. "…Ran.." He was breathing hard, definitely labored as she ran her fingertips teasingly over the hard lines of his chest. Despite the chill of the night air, he was feverishly hot.

"Rei!" She gasped, her eyes snapping open at the feel of his breath on the sensitive skin near her breasts. Then her eyes slid closed as he kissed his way back up her shoulder and away from temptation, nuzzling her neck and gently grazing his teeth along the shell of her ear. "Rei…" She breathed again, this time sounding seductive and inviting.

He groaned at the taste of her, the vibrations of his chest against her stomach causing her to press herself even more tightly against him despite the layers of clothing she still wore.

Rei knew that he could have her now if he wanted to. His head pulsed heavily with the knowledge.

But incredibly, he reached out to stop her madding hands, holding her small frame slightly away from him so he could see her, breaking the intimate contact reluctantly.

At first she protested mindlessly but when the erotic haze of moment wore off, she finally noticed the odd expression he was wearing. "Rei?" She asked in concern, seeing the determined look in his eyes. Ran reached out to stroke his hair in a tender gesture that melted his heart and broke down all his defenses. "What's wrong?" She asked barely talking above a whisper.

"Nothings wrong." He tried to assure her. But he knew it was time. "I just have to tell you something." He said, his heart pounding painfully in his ears. Struggling to find a way to begin, his words hung unsaid between them, but in the next moment she gasped, seeing it clearly in his eyes and realized she knew what he was about to say. Wide eyed, she waited.

Rei took a big breath. He hadn't planned on telling her so soon, but the night was turning out to be so much better than he had ever expected. "Ran…I…" He was ready to say the words, and realized she might finally be ready to hear it, when her cell rang loudly, breaking into the moment.

"GAAAAHHHH!" Ran yelled angrily, throwing her fists up in the air.

But incredibly Rei was laughing, partly at her reaction, partly at himself, the intense mood from moments ago having dissipated into relief, at least for him. He had feared this for so long, but now he sensed that she had been ready to hear his confession, and if her actions were any indication, might even reciprocate his feelings. Or at least be open to discussing their relationship. One phone call couldn't derail them from their destiny, he felt sure.

"It's ok Ran, answer your phone. What I have to say can wait." He said, smiling. Obviously it would have to because the phone continued to play its tune.

Scrambling she searched her pockets for the offending object, determined to make the call quick and then get back to Rei to finish what had become a very important conversation.

Possibly the most important conversation she would ever have.

Locating her phone she pulled it out and made a face before answering. Rei pulled her close, resting his head in the crook of her shoulder while she barked out "Moshi Moshi! What do you want?"

In the next moment a chill blew through her at the voice on the other end and Ran desperately wished she had checked the caller id for answering. "Oh. Hi Aya." She said, her voice for a moment sounding just as it had in high school.

Rei pulled back, feeling like a bucket of ice water had been dumped on him. He could feel Ran's mental withdraw as well. He scooted away from her, and stood, while she turned around from her knees to sit on her bottom on his coat. The night was cold but his rage and frustration kept him heated. How the hell could this happen? He was so close to confessing his love to her! To finding out how she felt! And now Aya was calling? What he done to deserve this trick of fate?

"OK, um, hold on just a second ok?" He vaguely heard Ran say, then she covered the mouthpiece of her phone and called to him. "Rei, she's in town and wants to see us!" He shook his head angrily before she even finished speaking. "She ran into Yuya and Mami at the old hangout." Ran was talking fast, sounding desperate, and feeling guilty. "They called Tatsuki but he can't make it. But Yamato is on duty so Miyu's going to come out for a bit. Yuya said he tried calling your cell…"

"It's turned off." He growled, his tone implying that hers should have been as well.

"What do we do?" Ran whispered as though afraid Aya would hear them.

"Ran…" Rei began, cold fear whipping through him. "Let's blow them off. It's no big deal, we see them all the time." He knew, without a doubt that if they met up with the others and they saw Aya's face it would set back all the hard won progress they had made this night.

"They don't know that you're here with me, but if we both don't show it'll cause suspicion." She said worriedly.

"So what?" He demanded. "There is something going on, they have a right to be suspicious!" Rei shouted.

Ran looked down at the phone when she heard noises coming from the earpiece. Putting the phone back up to her ear, she uncovered the mouthpiece and offered an apology. "Sorry, it's so noise here," She lied. "Just give me one more sec."

But Aya must have said something more, because the look on Ran's face softened. Pain crossed her face, but so did a crooked smile. "Yeah. Hey that's great." Was all she said in response, but Rei could see that whatever Aya had said had convinced Ran to go meet up with them. "OK, I'll see you soon. And I'll keep trying Otahata." With that she hung up, snapping the phone shut.

"Rei…" She began to speak only to be cut off.

"DAMN IT!" He yelled, picking up a rock and hurtling it with remarkable force over the cliff.

"Rei, we have to go." She told him firmly.

"Bullshit." He answered succinctly. He refused to go sit with a bunch of his friends and pretend nothing had happened when she was so close to finally realizing they were meant to be together.

"Yes." Ran reiterated determinedly.

"Why?" He asked belligerently, picking up another rock to heave. The pounding in his head was killing him. He had to get away from Ran before he said something unforgivable.

"Because Aya wants to introduce us to her fiancé." Ran said, having the perverse satisfaction of seeing Rei totally shell shocked.

After a moment of stunned silence, he dropped the rock, recovering quickly. "Let's go." He said heading for her, helping her up and reaching down to pick up both his thin black coat and his leather jacket.

He dusted off the dirt and shrugged back into his coat and jacket, adjusting the collars. Absently, he buttoned back up the shirt she had undone in her haste to touch him. Turning back to her, he saw Ran was watching him warily. Pausing, he reached out a hand, carefully stroking her cheek, treasuring the feel of her soft skin.

"Ran, if we make it through tonight, you and I are going to have to sit down and have a serious talk." He informed her, more like a parent to a child than lover to lover.

"I know." She said, looking down at her hands, fiddling with her bracelets. But she sighed a little when he leaned forward and gently kissed her forehead. Would they make it through the night, she wondered?

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Getting close to the end now!


	5. Chapter 5

Just want to see you smile again

By Luvdarain5

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Showdown

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The two hopped on Rei's bike and sped off in the direction of their old haunt. As she hugged herself to his larger form, thoughts were swirling around her head. Aya had sounded happy and excited about introducing her fiancé. But there had been a note in her voice when she had asked Ran if she knew where Rei might be. Was Aya really ready to let go and move on? Ran knew that Rei would be a hard guy to get over. When one had a taste of the crème de la crème of men, one didn't put that aside in favor of a store brand imitation.

The couple arrived, Rei parking his bike off to the side before turning to help her off. He was carefully keeping a safe distance from her, not touching her if he could help it, not taking off her helmet for her or taking her hand as they had earlier in the evening. Ran was beginning to wonder how bad of an idea this was. Rei seemed so remote, exactly like he had been in high school and it was making her uncomfortable.

They stood outside the eatery, facing each other for a moment, taking each other's measure before Rei finally spoke.

"Ready to go in?" He asked innocuously.

She nodded boldly "I'm ready. Let's do this." She affirmed. For one crazy moment she thought about grabbing his hand and marching in with the two of them hand in hand. But he didn't look very inviting at the moment, he might even laugh or scorn her.

Instead she lifted her chin and led the way.

Rei pulled the door open for her, the noise of the teen-aged crowd rushing out into the night. The older group of their friends should have looked out of place, but instead they had the teenagers staring in admiration and envy.

As Ran and Rei crossed the black and white tiled floor, everyone in the room turned to look. With Ran's flashy, dressy clothes and gal beauty and Rei's handsome stoic features and decidedly masculine physique, they appeared to be a power couple to be reckoned with-strong and united. Unfortunately, it couldn't be further from the truth, at the moment the two were filled with doubts about one another.

Their pals had staked out the large round corner booth, with its familiar plastic cushioned benches, bright red formica tabletop and chrome lined design.

Miyu was talking to Yuya with lots of excited gestures, pulling out her wallet and flashing picture after picture of her sonograms, family get togethers, a newspaper clipping of Yamato from when he had 'saved the day' and a few photos of their old days together in school. Yuya was dutifully pouring over the pictures, while his wife Mami sat rolling her eyes behind his back at the overenthusiastic Miyu while perusing her dinner menu.

A flash of long nut-brown tresses caught Ran's attention. Aya was tossing her hair over her shoulder and giggling at the man she spoke to; a handsome clean-cut guy who was also looking over a menu and laughing about some of the choices offered.

For the first time in her life, Ran considered just turning away and leaving, like a coward.

Instead, she put on a bright smile and greeted the group. "Hi guys!" She said gleefully. "The fabulous Kotobuki has arrived!"

Behind her, Rei offered a calm 'Hey'.

"Ran!" Yuya greeted enthusiastically before his wife tugged hard on the back of his shirt to remind him to calm down.

"Hey number two!" Ran said with a grin. Then much more coldly; "Honda-San."

"Its Aso now, not Honda!" She responded, her eyebrow twitching. "How many times do I have to tell you that?!"

"Now Mami, sweetie…" Yuya tried to calm his wife. Ran ignored them both, bending to give her friend Miyu a hug.

"Hey girl!" She offered.

"Ran, you're just in time!" Miyu said. "Miyu has new pictures of little Yamata Jr.! Wait till you see them!"

"Miyu, you don't have pictures of anything but a blob!" Ran said exasperatedly. Her best friend and her big brother had been subjecting her to sonogram pictures for weeks. Privately Ran thought they were going a little far when they had framed some of them, but hey, they were first time parents. "When my nephew gets here, then we'll talk!"

Rei had been silent all this time, and moved around Ran to motion to Miyu to scoot over so he could take a seat next to her. Ran slid in after him, listening as he spoke to Yuya in his low voice about his friend's new job, life in the big city and other trivialities. Ran felt a pang in her chest at the way he was studiously excluding her.

Finally she turned to address Aya and her hubby. "Hey woman, long time no see!" She said, leaning rudely across the table to give her friend an enthusiastic hug.

"Hi Ran." Aya returned the hug with a genuine smile. She greeted Rei a little more shyly. Ran wanted to roll her eyes. Would she _ever_ get over him?

"Ran, Rei, I wanted to introduce you both to my fiancé. " She said now that Ran had taken a seat next to Rei and everyone was listening. "This is Katase."

Everybody greeted him warmly, even those who had already met him.

"So Aya, how did the two of you meet?" Ran asked boisterously. Next to her, she could almost feel Rei's mental withdrawal. Her heart twinged in pain at what he must be feeling towards her now. The thought that he might be so disgusted with her, over tonight's events and now this; pretending to be just friends when less than an hour ago they had been shockingly intimate and on the verge of confessing long suppressed feelings.

"Actually you may not remember him, but he went to our school years ago." Aya told her, reaching over to fiddle with the collar of his shirt. "I soft of blew him off at the time." Her eyes darted over to Rei's briefly before coming back to rest on Katase.

Ran and Miyu studied Katase but without recognition. "But that was a long time ago." Miyu said, "How did you two meet up again?"

Katase laughed. "Turns out we both got a job with the same company." He turned with a cocky grin. "She couldn't stay away from me." He said with real affection.

Aya blushed becomingly, but dared another look under her lashes at Rei that Ran caught. Ran was beginning to get aggravated with her friend. She had a great guy sitting next to her, what the hell was her problem?!?

She wondered what Rei was thinking at that moment. If she had known, she would have cringed from the force of his anger.

Rei was seething silently. His plans were shot to hell. Tonight had started out to be a promising new beginning, with Ran finally opening up, accepting his kisses, and from all appearances ready to accept his feelings as well. Now they were sitting here on a bland Friday night, hanging out with their friends like they had in high school and generally reverting to their old habits and personalities. Rei wondered how soon he could leave without causing anxiety within the group. Then he wondered why he cared, he never stopped to think what others thought of him before, why start now.

He was ready to ask Ran to let him up, when the conversation took an unexpected turn.

"So," Said Katase casually, addressing Rei, "I understand you and Aya used to date." Of course Katase knew that they had, it had been the reason Aya had turned him down initially. He was subtly warning Rei that now that Aya was taken Rei was to watch his step around her. But of course he wasn't to know that it was unnecessary.

"Yeah, sort of." Rei said easily, shrugging it off. This of course hurt Aya who was struggling not to show it, who had lightly protested when Katase brought it up initially. But apparently his nonchalant manner pricked her pride as well.

"Not 'sort of' Rei!" She told him in a high but firm voice. "We did go out for a little while at least." Her eyes watched his steadily, as though daring him to deny it.

"Ok, so we dated." He answered, again with a shrug. It was no skin off his back.

"We had some good times!" She continued doggedly, as though determined to have him acknowledge it as well. It hurt that he was so careless about something that had been so important to her. It made her feel like a fool for all that time she had spent pining over him. "We used to go to the mall, the record store, or just hang out here." Aya persisted. "Remember?"

"Aya." Said Katase with a frown. "That was in the past." He turned to her, uncaring of their audience. "Remember?" He censured lightly, wanting her to refocus on him and forget the jerk.

Aya ignored him, and pounded her small fist on the table, hard enough to get his and everyone else's attention. "What about those times when we went to the clubs? All those nights we hung out?" She demanded. She was embarrassed that she was getting worked up, could feel tears welling in her eyes but she couldn't seem to stop herself, anger and humiliation spurning her on.

"Aya that's enough." Katase said more insistently, beginning to loose his own temper now. "You're making a fool of yourself." How little did he know these were the exact wrong words to say.

She laughed harshly. "Apparently I have been all along." Aya muttered, bitterness apparent in her voice.

"Just when are you going to get it through your thick head that he's not interested?" Ran said suddenly, the jealousy that had been bubbling inside her spewing out. She had had enough!

Yuya, Mami and Miyu had all been absorbing the conversation with varying degrees of mild surprise to absolute shock. Now that Ran was throwing in her two cents, things were getting even more interesting. Rei sat back leaning against the cushioned bench, appearing nonchalant as though he were not the object of discussion. But a muscle in his jaw twitched, as though he were having a hard time keeping silent.

"Because!" Aya continued, a sob catching her off guard. "Because I just want him to admit that it wasn't all just one sided!" Aya said, pain in her eyes. "That what we felt was real! That I meant something to him!" She finished, covering her face with her hands, slumping in her seat.

Katase sat stoically, unsure how to handle this unexpected twist or how to comfort his fiancé. Yuya and Mami exchanged worried glances while Miyu searched her purse for a Kleenex.

Ran sat frozen, trying to process the words. Trying to understand the hurt her friend was feeling and to understand why it mattered so much to her now. Of course she knew that her friend didn't like being made a fool of, no woman did. But she had moved on, so why was she still hung up on him? She turned dazedly to look at Rei, to see how he was taking it. When she saw his face, she absurdly wanted to laugh.

Typical Rei, she thought, his face was an emotionless mask, his manner casual. But she could feel the tension vibrating from his body being so close to hers. The way he held his body completely still despite the relaxed pose. The sound of his voice was gravely when he finally spoke.

"Aya." He began, his usually masked emotions evident in his voice. "I've always been honest with you. "I wanted to care for you as much as you cared for me, but I couldn't do it." He sighed quietly. "I did try."

Ran began to speak, but was cut off by Aya's low, infuriated voice. "Is this is because of what you said at the outlook that day?" She demanded hotly.

Ran and Rei froze at the mention of their 'secret spot'.

"_The_ outlook?" Ran asked, her head suddenly feeling fuzzy. She cut her eyes to Rei, certain he would shoot her a look and tell her it wasn't the same private place they had just come from.

Rei said nothing, his face impassive. Here he was stuck between his past and his future, both women furious with him. He gave an uncaring shrug, ready to get up and leave it all behind him. Things were getting far more complicated than he was prepared to deal with.

Ran laughed loudly and bitterly. "Ah ha ha. What a fool I am!" Ran derided, but with a terrible smile on her face. "Just how many girls do you take up there Otahata?" She asked jovially. She scooted out from the bench and stood so she could look down at him.

Aya's eyes cut over to her. "He took _you_ there?" She asked sharply. Aya had never been a slow one.

"Ran!" Sobbed Yuya, crocodile tears in his eyes. Mami sweat dropped and slapped him-hard, trying to snap him out of his stupor.

"Ran?" Miyu spoke softly, worried about her friend.

But she only had eyes for the silent figure who looked steadily back at her. Her heart was breaking, and he was saying nothing. Suddenly, with a flash of insight, she knew _exactly_ how Aya felt.

"WELL?" She yelled, causing the others to jump in surprise. After the uncomfortable quiet, her shout caused a few heart attacks.

"What do you want me to say Kotobuki?" Rei asked in frosty tones. "Did you think a few kisses and hand holding was all it took to forget a lifetime of you ignoring my feelings?" He continued with a cynical smile.

"What the hell does that have to do with the fact that you took me to the same place you took her?" Ran asked, pointing a laquored nail at Aya. "I thought it was special, ya know? I thought it meant something! Apparently so did she!" Ran was furious, close to loosing it.

"You're causing a scene." Rei said between clenched teeth. "Let's discuss this outside."

"No! You can't brush me off like you did her!" Ran informed him haughtily. "I wont be your doormat Otohata, we talk about this NOW." Ran faintly heard Aya's sharp intake of breath and some part of her registered that she had hurt her friend further but she was blind to all but the man before her.

"You want to talk?" He ground out, moving out of the seat to tower over her, tall, dark and _finally_ angry, like something out of some grim fairy tale. "Fine, lets talk. Why now Ran? Why tonight?" He wanted to know. "What changed in the last 24 hours that you suddenly covet my kisses and my company?" He asked. "I mean besides when you're broke and need a quick meal." He added with a snarl.

The others gasped. He was calling her out in public on what should have been a very private conversation. Even Aya was helpless to do anything more than watch.

"…I…I just…" These were tough questions. Questions she wasn't sure she could answer. But the fight was going out of her, to be replaced by confusion and pain.

"Well?" He barked, in an imitation of her demand a few moments ago.

"I just…" Ran swallowed. What had changed? More had happened tonight than in the past several years. Something had shifted between them, they had opened up to one another in ways they should have done years ago. Why had she suddenly decided she didn't care what Aya or anyone else said, that she wanted him for herself?

She thought back to that afternoon, and the answer came to her in a rush of clarity. "I just wanted to see you smile again." She told him with brutal honesty.

The room was silent, the others at the table stunned by her answer. One lone girl in the corner across the room sighed at the lovely sentiment. By this time everyone in the place was watching them unabashedly.

"What?" Rei asked coldly in disbelief. "So everything tonight has been an effort to 'cheer me up'?" Any evidence of his feelings disappeared and he impassively studied her face for a moment before turning to leave. "Thanks but no thanks Kotobuki."

"You stupid, selfish bastard!" Ran yelled at his back. "Why do you think it bothers me that you don't smile anymore?"

He stopped. Turning back to her, he said nothing, waiting for her to continue. A tiny grain of hope was niggling in his heart.

Ran stomped up to him, her shoes annoying loud in the silence. "Why do you think I harp on you to change your career Rei? Cause it obviously makes you miserable!"

Rei looked down into her eyes, studying what he saw there. And he decided 'to hell with it', it was time to stop playing games. "I already have enough friends to worry over me Ran." He told her arrogantly.

Behind them at the table, Aya shivered at the coldness of his words, but Miyu whispered under her breath "Fight for him Ran!" The others could only look on in disbelief.

Rei waited tensely for her reply.

Ran suddenly became uncomfortably aware of her surroundings. Of course she was used to being the center of attention, but not like this. Her mouth opened and closed like a fish on dry land, gaping for water, but no words coming out. She turned her head to the left and right of her, looking at all the faces staring back at her. Lastly she turned partially to see the table full of her friends, all watching them. Ran turned back to Rei, shaking her head to indicate she couldn't say more. There was a fine sheen of tears in her eyes that jolted Rei. He had never seen her cry.

"So, the great Ran Kotobuki is really just a coward." He said softly, reaching out a hand to touch her cheek.

Of course his comment galvanized her into retaliating, Ran had never been one to take insults lightly no matter that his tone was forgiving.

"No more of a coward than you." She told him, also speaking in a low voice, causing the crowd to strain to hear. "How come you never confessed your feelings to me before now?" She asked with a jaunty eyebrow lift. Clearly the tears were gone, to be replaced by determination.

"You weren't ready to hear it." He said, knowing he had been right to wait. She would have run a mile in the other direction if he had told her how he felt. "And you know it." He said almost accusingly. How dare she torment him like this, he wondered with something close to amusement.

"Well I'm listening now." She said, finally ready to hear him say what he had to say. Ran lifted her chin, waiting.

"You idiot" he said softly, lovingly. Ran blinked in bemusement. He was laughing at her? Calling her names?

He reached out and tugged at her and in her daze she stumbled a little, leaning into him, pressing her hands against his chest for support. "Otahata?" She asked, confused.

Rei slung his jacket around her shoulders, grabbing onto the front and using it to draw her close to him. In a gesture so tender it brought tears to several girls' eyes, he angled his head and leaned down and ever so sweetly kissed her. A collective sigh could be heard around the room, and a slight sobbing coming not from Aya as could be expected, but from Yuya, much to his wife's chagrin.

The two pulled apart, though their lips clung together for just a moment before they pulled further back. But Rei would not allow her to go far. Wrapping his arms around her, he pulled her tightly to him, nuzzling her ear as he finally said those all-important words he had been trying to say to her for years.

"I love you Ran." He whispered, for her and her alone.

He moved to kiss her cheek and was surprised to find wetness there. "Ran?" He spoke in concern.

"About time." Was all she said, but with a watery smile. But the indomitable Ran Kotobuki could not be put off for long, not even with a soul shaking confession from the man she loved. "Now what's this about you taking Aya to our spot?" She wanted to know.

The entire room was a collection of sweat drop faces.

Rei laughed, feeling ready to take on the world. "It's a long story." He told her, leaning forward to kiss her forehead.

"Don't think you're going to get out of telling it either Otahata!" She said energetically.

Pulling out of his arms, she spun and marched back to the table where her friends sat, and tension reared its ugly head again as Ran faced Aya.

Rei stood where she had left him, waiting to see what she would do, but trusting her completely to handle things.

"You!" Ran pointed dramatically to Aya. "Looks like Rei and I are going to be…together…got it?!" She said firmly. Aya nodded wide-eyed.

"Try not to stumble over it next time, Ran." Rei spoke cockily from his spot.

She ignored him.

"But you have a fiancé now, so you need to get over Rei, ok?" Ran demanded. Again Aya could only nod dumbly. "Good, because I refuse to let our friendship be broken up over some stupid guy! Even if he is cute!" Ran concluded with satisfaction.

Then she turned to the rest of her friends. "Well, gotta go!" She said cheekily, "See you the next time you're in town Yuya. Honda-san."

"It's Aso!" Mami said, aggravated at the whole mess, and the incredibly romantic scene she had witnessed. Why couldn't Yuya be more like that?!?

"Whatever." Ran dismissed her, turning to Miyu. "Miyu, tell whom you must, I trust you." She said as though she were a General addressing a Lieutenant with special orders. Then she turned to leave, pausing at the door for Rei to join her.

Rei nodded to the group in an informal salute and headed for the door.

Their friends offered tepid farewell's still stunned by the turn of events. But everyone was surprised when Aya spoke up bravely. "See you guys at my wedding, right?" She called. Rei and Ran stood side by side at the door; they looked to one another for confirmation, before Ran waved back to her friend. "We'll see you there!" She said and the two exited as one out into the cool dark night.

Inside, Aya turned nervously to Katase. She cleared her throat. "That is, if there's still going to be a wedding." She said softly.

He turned to her, his face an expressionless mask. "Say goodnight to your friends Aya. We need to go home and talk." He instructed heavily, pulling out his wallet and throwing a couple bills on the table for tip, though they had never gotten a chance to order anything.

Aya swallowed nervously, and bade her friends a quick goodbye before scooting out after Katase. She prayed she hadn't blown it big time.

A chirping song began to play, and with a start Miyu realized it was her phone. Digging it out of her purse, she flipped it open to see at text message. "Oh! Looks like Yamato got off early tonight!" She said happily. "Miyu had better get home. Miyu can't wait to tell Yamato everything that happened!"

With that, she too left, and Mami and Yuya sat alone at the large booth, wondering what exactly had happened.

Yuya sniffed forlornly. "I just wanted an evening out with my friends." He mourned to Mami.

Mami fluffed her hair, stalling while her mind raced. Poor dear needed cheering up, she thought. "Well, lucky you, you got to see them and now you get to have me to yourself for the rest of the night! Now lets go somewhere and get a real meal, and then we can go shopping, you know how that always cheers you up." She said determinedly.

Yuya's despair deepened. Shopping didn't cheer him up; it cheered _her_ up. He could kiss a few hundred bucks goodbye, he realized with a sigh. But when Mami leaned over to plant a kiss on his cheek he perked up. "You can choose the restaurant though, ok?" She told him sweetly.

"OK!" He said happily

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Any guesses how this is gonna end?


	6. Chapter 6

Just want to see you smile again

by Luvdarain5

xxxxxxx

Satisfied

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Rei and Ran sped into the night on his motorcycle. As far as Ran knew, they had no destination but she began to get suspicious when some of the turned started to look familiar. She gasped, the sound muffled by her helmet. He was taking her back to the overlook?

"Rei!" Ran said angrily, thumping one small fist ineffectually against his chest. It was hard when she was holding on for dear life, but she was also ticket.

"Trust me Ran." He said, his voice sounding far away through the plastic shied that covered his face.

She supposed she had no choice at the moment; after all she couldn't fling herself off the bike in a fit of temper. Better wait till they stopped, she decided and then she would rip him a new one.

When he finally slowed and stopped, Ran had to be patient till he helped her off. Motorcycles were definitely made for long legged people, she knew. But the minute she was free, she pulled away from his lingering grasp, putting her helmet into his outstretched arms, when he had clearly been hoping to be holding her instead.

"Ran wait." He said, knowing he had taken a gamble bringing her here. But it was so important to him; he had to make her understand.

She began stomping off the direction they had just come from.

"Where do you think you're going?" He asked in mild amusement. She had a hell of a temper, he thought admiringly.

"I'm going back to Shibuya!" She said as though it were obvious. "I have no intention of going back up there with you mister!" Ran yelled. "Apparently you bring all sorts of women up there, and then let them believe it's special and means something when it-"

She didn't get to finish her tirade. Because he had easily caught up, jogging a little to reach her. When he reached her, he grabbed her arm, swinging her around to face him, and halting her rant with a heart-stopping kiss.

The effect was drugging, and for a moment there was only silence as the two put everything they felt into that one incredible kiss. Rei finally broke away, but his mouth continued to roam over her face, languidly kissing her nose, her eyes and cheeks. Ran shivered delicately at the incredible sensations coursing through her.

"Come back up there with me Ran." He husked. "Give me a chance to explain." He coaxed, bending to nibble at her ear, which he was fast discovering was the weak spot that would cause her knee's to give way. She leaned against him almost drunkenly.

"Ok, sure, fine." She agreed breathlessly, anything to make him happy. Or more accurately, anything to make him not stop what he was doing. But of course her acquiescence had the opposite affect.

He moved away from her, the cold air rushing in between them. Turning he took her hand and began to pull her towards the trail that let to the overlook. Disgusted with herself, Ran followed along. Love sure made you do dumb things, she thought exasperatedly.

But it didn't mean she had to go quietly, and she grumbled their whole trek up the rock and dirt trail.

They arrived at the top, this time she was behind him, but the magic of the view struck her yet again. But pain mixed with the pleasure, dimming the happiness she had felt here earlier. Rat bastard, she sighed to herself.

Rei tugged her along to the small open field, and stood silently the two holding hands. He studied her for a moment, the chilly breeze caressing his face and teasing his hair, but he didn't speak.

For once Ran was patient, waiting for him to find the words.

"Aya and I…we never kissed when we were up here together." He began. Ran's look of disbelief both pained and amused him.

"Yeah right." She snorted, disgusted that he would even try to deny it.

"In fact I didn't even bring her up here." He said, ignoring her rude interruption.

"Now you're going to start lying to me?" She demanded, hurt.

"Ran." He said forcefully, and she shut her mouth to listen.

"I didn't bring her up here," He repeated, continuing his story. "She followed me in her car one day. I come here when I need to think or be alone." He cut his eyes over to her. "I've never brought anyone up here before." He told her, wanting her to understand how important it was. How important she was to him.

"Anyway, she waited until I had climbed the path and then she came up herself, covered in scratches and bruises." Rei's eyes hazed a bit as he recalled the events of that day. "She was crying when she came into view, and she pleaded and begged with me to give her a chance."

Ran nodded quietly. That sounded like Aya.

"But I told her I couldn't make any promises, I could only try. And she was happy with that." Rei took a deep breath. "She knew I was in love with you even then." He confessed quietly.

Ran stared at him, certain she had misunderstood. "Are you telling me Rei Otahata that you've been in love with me since high school and just haven't bothered to tell me until now?" She demanded.

"Ran, don't play games, you've always known how I felt." He said sternly.

"But when I asked you, you denied it…" She said plaintively. It had been easy enough to ignore the rumors at the time. She hadn't been ready for a real relationship back then.

And he had never acted even remotely lover like, insulting her gal clothes and lazy attitude just as he always had done.

He shrugged, no easy answers to that. Expressing his feelings had always been his weak point. Sighing, he reached out his arm and pulled her close to his side and in response she slung her arms around his waist inside his jacket. Since she was already close, he put his other arm around her, and the two were tightly against one another, united against the cold.

Ran's hands began caressing his back, soothingly, lovingly at first, but her breathing began to speed up, as did his when she began to explore lower. She leaned her head against his chest, listening to his heartbeat thud against her ear as she teased him lightly by sliding her hands over his gorgeous butt.

"Whoa, hold on a minute Ran." He protested, moving his arms from her back to grasp her upper arms and still her movements. This wasn't exactly the place to get intimate. She looked up at him, her serious expression to be replaced with one of mischief.

"What?" She asked innocently.

Deciding two could play at this game, he dipped his head to kiss her while sliding his hands surreptitiously up her arms, over her shoulders, down her back to cup her firm behind. She gave a shocked laugh, but he persisted, kneading his hands into the soft flesh. Then daringly, he slid a hand lower and slipped under her skirt to rest on the high back of her thigh, slowly inching up. His thumb caressed and pulled gently at the elastic of her panties.

She was breathing too hard almost to speak. "Rei?" She asked in surprise.

"Ran I know I said I would wait for an invitation before I touched your panties." He began, reminding her of their conversation earlier that evening. "But I'm don't think I can." He said, emitting a light groan at the feel of her.

Ran nodded, puffing cold air into the night. "I…I give…you…" She couldn't finish, trying to say the word 'permission', but he got the idea all the same.

"Come on, lets get out of here." He said, gentling her urgent movements with a tender kiss before separating from her to lead the way back.

"My place or yours?" She asked him, not even pretending to play coy. He had waited long enough. They both had.

"Hmm, well if we go to your place you have to clean off your bed. At my place, there's no waiting." Rei said humorously.

"Fine, your place it is." She agreed eagerly.

…………………..

Meanwhile Aya was fighting for her relationship with Katase. Arguing, pleading and begging for his forgiveness. In a moment of clarity, Aya realized what it meant to really fight for her man. Feeling empowered in a way she had never been with Rei, she renewed her arguments, refusing to take no for an answer.

………………………

The next morning the sound of a cell phone beeping woke the sleeping couple. There was general grumbling and complaining from both Ran and Rei, as neither had gotten much sleep the night before. Ran finally reached out and switched off the cell alarm she had set.

The two were spooned together, both sleeping on their sides, her back tucked into his front. Ran was unused to sharing her bed with a guy and therefore had kept trying to scoot away in her sleep to fling her arms and legs wide and get comfortable. Rei had repeatedly pulling her back to him, and she had finally settled down into his arms in the early morning, exhausted from their lovemaking the night before.

Ran shoved her face back in the pillow, and Rei had a mouth full of tangled blond hair to deal with.

"I don't want to get up." She muffled into the pillow. Then added, "Ugh, I need a shower."

"Mmm." Was all Rei said. Ran hadn't yet confessed her feelings, but he knew she felt it, could see it in her eyes, and that was enough for him for now.

"Got any strawberry milk?" She asked without much hope. She liked a sweet drink to start off her day.

"No." He answered, but made a mental note to stock some in his fridge going forward.

"Guess I'll take coffee." She mumbled with a sign. "Sucks that I have to work today." Her eyes brightened momentarily. "Unless you want me to call out. You could call my work and say you're my physician and that I'm too ill to come in today!" Ran was already beginning to see the 'benefits' to being with Rei. She snuggled further into her pillow, sure he would lovingly comply.

"No way Kotobuki. You're not going to use me to lie to your boss." He told her firmly, sliding his arm out from under her so he could lie on his back and look up blearily at the ceiling. He loved her to death but he couldn't wait for her to leave so he could get some more sleep.

"What kind of boyfriend are you? What good are you anyway?" She demanded tiredly.

"The kind who's willing to get out of his nice warm bed to go make you a cup of coffee even though I could leave you to fend for yourself." He answered calmly. He yawned hugely and threw the covers off of him, preparing to get up and do as he had said.

"Ok fine." She hugged, giving in ungratefully. "But give me some incentive to get up." She turned on her back and then rolled to face him, tucking herself into his side. Ran draped a hand onto his chest and lifted herself up and over him for a kiss. Rei turned his to comply but when he got a look at her he stopped, his eyes widening.

Ran paused. "What?" She asked defensively.

Rei snickered, he couldn't help it. He tried to play it off, but couldn't bring himself to even kiss her now. Rolling over on his side away from her, he planted his feet on the floor and just walked away shaking his head.

"What?" She called after him. "What? WHAT??" Ran jumped up and ran to his bathroom, flinging open the door and fumbling for the light switch. Finally she flicked it on and stared at herself in the mirror with genuine horror. "GAAAAAAHHHHH!!!"

Rei's laughter burst from him at her reaction. She was indignant, hilarious and best of all, she was his. His Ran. His 'raccoon gal'. Rei wondered how she would react to that little nickname. He started the coffee percolator with a smile.

Meanwhile Ran was dabbing toilet paper with water from the sink and trying to rid herself of her black makeup circles under her eyes. But she paused at the sound of his laughter and felt an answering smile of her own. It was good to hear him laugh.

Ran squared her shoulders, checking her face in the mirror. Much better, she nodded to herself approvingly. Now it was time to go have a talk with Rei, and get this whole Doctor Vs. DJ'ing mess under control. He wasn't going to like it, but she loved him and with her by his side, he would be fine. She marched into the kitchen to get him straightened out.

………………………………….

-Epilogue

_One Year Later…._

"Ah, I love the feel of the wind in my hair!" Ran sighed happily, leaning her head back against the seat of the convertible she was sitting in. She slouched in her seat, one arm hanging out the window, the other grasping a vanilla ice cream cone, legs spread-eagled under the crazy tropical print skirt she wore. The sun was beating warmly down on her and she was enjoying the languid feeling.

"Ran, we're only going 5 miles an hour, it's hardly enough to cause a breeze." Rei said dampening, adjusting his expensive sunglasses. He arrogantly leaned back in his seat and finished off his iced latte, lazily sparing a glance for the woman seated next to him. She was wearing another outrageous outfit, the bright colors and sexy straps flattering her immensely. His eyes roved hungrily over the tanned expanse of her exposed midriff and waist. She was still slim for now, but in a few months that would change.

Ran swished her right hand carelessly to indicate she couldn't care less. The sun glinted off the huge diamond engagement ring that graced her small hand, and she tilted it this way and causing it to sparkle some more. Rei had paid big bucks for it, but Ran had been insistent on that particular one. She always had a thing for jewelry, and since he could afford it she 'bled him dry' as he put it, demanding the best.

The pretty silver charm bracelet that dangled prettily from her wrist had been an unexpected gift from him when she had announced that she was pregnant. The card that came with the box had said 'Ran, you're going to be a great gal mamma. Love, Rei.' Secretly she treasured the card as much as the jewelry. But of course she didn't tell him that.

"Yeah, we aren't making much progress." Ran said disinterestedly. "New York traffic sucks."

"It's probably because Americans drive on the wrong side of the road." Rei said sourly. He had adjusted to the change easily enough, but Ran had a hard time with it, and therefore had been forbidden to drive his beautiful convertible mustang. She had shrugged it off; she likes the subways better anyway.

"Hey look, it's DJ Rei!" Came a loud young voice from the sidewalk. Rei and Ran turned their heads simultaneously to see a group of twenty something's staring back at them, pointing and talking excitedly.

Another girl chimed in. "And that's Club Diva Ran with him!" She waved enthusiastically. The small crowd ran out and surrounded the convertible, heedless of the traffic behind them. But then again it was New York, no one cared!

"Man, I saw you spinning last week at Marguerite's! You were incredible!" Babbled a freckled red head fellow, sporting more piercing and tattoos than Rei thought possible.

"Diva Ran, where did you get those fabulous boots you were wearing last night?" Demanded a brunette with spiky hair, androgynous clothing and a feminine face.

Rei spoke in dry tones, discussing some of the music he had played and disclosing the name of an underground record store he had discovered where he had found some of his now signature tracks. He was used to being in the spotlight, but he didn't seek it out.

Meanwhile Ran, who was also used to the adoration of a crowd tossed her hair and sang her own praises, reminding those listening of a particularly hot outfit she had worn to the recent grand opening premier.

A loud horn blasted right behind them, causing all of them to jump. "We better get going." Rei said firmly to the group, ignoring the pleas for them to stay and join the crowd for lunch.

"We'll be at The January Club in two weeks, we'll see you there." Ran said buoyantly.

"Will you teach us that Para Para thing you were talking about?" Begged one of the blonds.

"No Way! You have to come to my dance class at Tom's Fitness Center for that, I don't show my moves for freeeeee!" Ran yelled as the car began to pull away. The crowd migrated back to the sidewalk, discussing their incredible luck in meeting the duo.

Rei had only driven half a mile when the traffic slowed up again. Inching the car forward, he wore a frown on his face. "Ran, you shouldn't have promised to be there." He told her. "You should be taking it easy."

"Oh, you're one to talk!" Ran scoffed, used to his high handed arrogance and retaliating with indifference, which could drive him up a wall. "Medical school during the week and DJ'ing on the week end, it's a wonder you're able ace all those exams!"

"I'm not the one who's pregnant." He reminded her, brow raised exasperatedly. His compromise with his mother had been to stay in medical school. His compromise with himself and Ran had been to continue DJ'ing on the side, doing what he loved most.

But when Ran had impulsively suggested moving to New York one day, what had started as an idle discussion of 'what if' had quickly turned serious and the two had immediately set their plan in motion. Now they were living in the busiest city in the world and loving every minute of it.

A tinny version of 'Aitsu' played on Ran's cell and she scrambled for her phone.

"Moshi Moshi!" She greeted cheerfully. "Hi Aya!" Ran chirruped enthusiastically. She turned her head to shoot Rei a quick smile, and reached out her left hand to rub his shoulder soothingly.

Rei concentrated on the traffic at hand and listened with half an ear.

After a few moments of conversation, Ran hung up the phone with a snap. "Well, Aya said that she'd be flying in next week for her dress fitting, so that the last one we need. We should be set!"

"Did she say how she and Katase are doing?" He asked curiously. He held out his right hand expectantly, and she took it, threading her fingers in his, loving this tender side of him.

"Well, they've postponed the wedding yet again." Ran finished her ice cream cone in her other hand and swiped a napkin over her mouth. She scooted over next to Rei and laid her head on his shoulder, sighing worriedly. Rei frowned and warned her about not wearing her seatbelt so she fastened the lap belt in the middle seat to make him happy. He told her it was only because he didn't want a ticket. But she knew the truth. She loved how he worried about her, and their baby.

"I wonder if they'll get their act together." Rei mused aloud. He hoped Katase would eventually come around and be able to forgive Aya for making him feel second best but he couldn't entirely blame the man if he couldn't. It was part of the reason why he and Ran hadn't gotten together sooner. Rei might have been able to convince her to be with him, but he wanted it to be her choice, always. He would never force or coerce her.

Ran shrugged, determined not to let her worry overshadow their perfect day. "I forgot to tell you, my sister called, she and Masato want to come for a visit next month. Is that cool?" She asked.

"Yeah, if they don't care about sleeping on the pull out couch, they're more than welcome." Rei agreed. Since apartments were so expensive in New York, even one bedroom places were outrageous so all their guests so far had had to sleep on the couch.

The only time that had backfired was when Ran's parents had visited. Ran had refused to sleep on the couch even as Rei had respectfully offered to do so. Ran's father had wept tears at his daughter's ingratitude and sniffled in his wife's understanding embrace. The result had been Ran and her mother sharing the bed, and a very uncomfortable night of her father and Rei sharing a bed. What a comedy of epic proportions _that_ had been.

"So you never did say where we're going." Ran said, gesturing to the wall-to-wall traffic that was impeding them from much progress. "What's the surprise anyway?"

"You'll see when we get there." He said mysteriously. "Why don't you just rest for now?" Rei had discovered a beautiful private park just outside the city with a waterfall and the greenest grass known to man. He knew Ran would love it. That and the picnic basket stuffed with food in the trunk that she was unaware of. It probably couldn't hold a candle to 'their' overlook back in Japan, but he was looking forward to it all the same, and hoped she would like it as well.

"Don't have to tell me twice." She said with a smile, and leaned up to plant a kiss on his cheek and studied his face for a moment before resting her head back on his shoulder and closing her eyes.

He gave her his heartbreaker grin. "What was that for?" Rei asked curiously.

Ran gave a happy sigh. "Just wanted to see you smile again."

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The End. (Happy Sigh)


End file.
